"Y'all might as well get rid of him right now" - Ex-Laker recalls doing "rookie stuff" for Kobe Bryant

It's not a distinction anyone really wants, though its value is unquestioned: Kobe Bryant proved to be the most intimidating teammate in NBA history.

From downright petrifying stories to his raspy expressions on the hardwood, "The Mamba" evolved into the epitome of leading by example. Many of his former teammates have often said it best when it came to playing through a season with the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Although many of these tales reveal Bryant's harsh character in one way or another, that's exactly what helped him earn an unconquerable reputation.

Another Kobe story

You didn't necessarily need to be a star or a player with expectations to get Kobe on your tail. Take it from Darius Johnson-Odom, who was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2012 before a next-day trade sent him to the Lakers.

Although the former guard played a mere four games for the purple and gold, he was around enough to pick up a memory he'll hold on to forever.

"They was tryna have me wake up at 5 in the morning, drop the bags off, and then don't be late on the bus type stuff," Odom recalled a moment during his rookie season. "And I would've woke up one morning, and I had to drop the bags off, and I must've dozed off. I sprint down to the bus, Kobe on the back of the bus, like, 'Oh, y'all might as well get rid of him right now.'"

At 23 years old, Odom was handling typical rookie duty: loading bags on the team bus and having to wake up before everyone was in the process. Hazing the rooks is one thing when done by any other NBA veteran. But when Kobe expected you to do something, you did it. Otherwise, it was considered your resignation.

Related: "I don't put myself above them" - Michael Jordan on why he doesn't think he's better than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

Tough love or borderline vicious?

Bryant was renowned for sticking to his principles. If he could tell his Team USA teammates that he was outworking them as the oldest guy on the roster, then he sure could say to a rookie to do his job—or leave.

Kobe evolved as a leader. He was a tough, expressive voice in the locker room, quite different from what his character reflected when he entered the NBA as a reserved teenager. The reason for his evolution? Michael Jordan , the only one the late Bryant took his cues from.

Jordan was renowned for his borderline vicious leadership style. He turned practices into (literally) a bloody war and was as hard on his star sidekick, Scottie Pippen, as he was on the last guy sitting on the bench with more DNPs than actual seconds played. In many ways, Bryant was the same, once famously turning a Lakers practice into a callous skirmish .

In the end, a lot of what made Michael great made Kobe great. Many will argue that the Lakers icon was even a notch or two ahead of his predecessor in sheer ruthlessness. But for the players that grew closest to him, they'll always tell you his expletive-filled bawling in practices and during timeouts in games helped them.

Related: "Playing with Shaq gets me rings" - When Kobe Bryant admitted he needed "the big fella" to win